Many rabbits show fear behaviours when lifted off the ground. Estimates from owner surveys suggest that around 60% of pet rabbits struggle when lifted and fear-related aggression is common. This article integrates information from both laboratory and pet rabbit studies to formulate a list of recommendations for appropriate handling of rabbits. Reduction of the frequency of the stressor can be achieved by educating owners on alternative management practices to reduce the need to carry their rabbits. However, in some situations, it is unavoidable that a rabbit is lifted. Amelioration of the stress in these instances can be achieved by a 2 pronged strategy. First, the population of rabbits can be made more resilient to infrequent stressors by selectively breeding for confident rabbits and by better socialisation of unweaned kits, and, where possible, training of individual animals to permit handling. Secondly, any unavoidable lifting can be made less stressful by educating veterinary staff in appropriate methods of holding rabbits during both consultations and inpatient care. Better understanding of appropriate interactions with rabbits will improve welfare.
The neutering of pet rabbits has become more common in recent years due to recognition of the importance of species-specific social contact and the perceived risk of reproductive malignancies in unspayed older females. Here, GUEN BRADBURY: and GREG DICKENS: argue that the benefits of neutering singly housed rabbits (still the majority in the UK) may not outweigh the adverse effects of the procedure.
Guen Bradbury and Greg Dickens comment: We agree with the authors of this letter that the best outcome for rabbit welfare would be for all rabbits to be kept in pairs or groups. The authors raise some valid points. We also agree that neutering, over a timescale of more than five years, is likely to confer health benefits. Where our views differ, however, is over what constitutes a justifiable degree of suffering for a whole population (singly housed rabbits) to benefit a cohort (those that will survive long enough to see the health benefits and that may, at some point, be kept with another rabbit). The decision to neuter a singly housed rabbit must depend on the veterinary surgeon's ethical beliefs about the relative weighting of harm and benefit. In our article, we highlight the welfare cost of
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